Navy ready to deal 26/11-type strike: Verma

New Delhi: Observing that Navy is prepared to tackle 26/11-type attack from outfits such as LeT, Admiral Nirmal Verma today said the “core concern” of the maritime force was about the coalescing of state and non-state actors.

“The way we have prepared ourselves, we have always presumed this (a terror attack from sea). Even before (key 26/11 handler) Abu Jundal said this, we had always assumed that there would be such preparations on their side and that has been factored in our preparations,” he said in New Delhi.

The Navy chief was asked about the preparation of the force to tackle 26/11-type attack in wake of revelations by Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist Jundal that the terror organisation had reactivated its maritime wing.

Navy has prepared itself by strengthening its capabilities and coordinating with stakeholders including fishermen who were its “eyes and ears”, Verma, who is retiring in the end of this month, told a farewell press conference.

On tackling a 2008 Mumbai-type strike, he said, “There will always remain uncertainties and adversaries but on our part it is intended to ensure that the levels of asymmetry are never such that they encourage adventurism.”

He said, “Terrorism from the sea and terrorism at sea are now realities of our times and in our external environment one of our core concerns is the coalescing of the state with non-state entities, both of which, individually, in collaboration or as hybrid create a high degree of uncertainty.

“Our maritime strategy intends to ensure that there is no schism between the challenges that we face and our capabilities to respond to them.”

Verma also said the “plague” of piracy around Indian island territories and Gulf of Aden has been “arrested” to a significant extent.

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